Vestibule-car



(No Model.) 6 Sheets-Sheet 1,

J. N. BARR.

VESTIBULE OAR.

No. 583,137. Patented May 25,1897.

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- ATTOLRNE? (No Model.) 6 SheetF-Sheet 2.

J.N.BAR R. VESTIBULE UAR.

N0. 583,1 7. Patefited May 25, 1897.

WITNZZSSES- A TTORNE (N0 Model.) 6 Sheets-Sheet 3.

v VESTIB ULE GAR. No. 583,137.

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6 Sheets-Sheet 4.

(No Model.)

J.N.BARR. VESTIBULE UAR.

' No.583137. PatentedMay 25,189?

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A770 ME 6 Sheets-Sheet 5. J. N. BARR.

VESTIBULE GAR.

(No Model.)

No. 583,137. Patented May 25,1897.

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I V TNESSES,"

' 7 'W/ ATTORNEY f/ (No Model.) 6 Sheets-Sheetfi.

J. N. BARR.

VES-TIBULE GAR.

No. 583,137. Patented May 25,1897.

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UNITED STATES PATENT Fries.

JACOB N. BARR, OF MILWAUKEE, IVISCONSIN.

VESTlBULE-CAR.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 583,137, dated May 25,1897.

Application filed September 24, I894. Renewed April 9, 189'7 Serial No.631,439. (No model.)

character and the doing away with certain springs, bellows, and otherparts ordinarily used.

- Referring to the accompanying drawings,

Figure 1 is ahorizontal section through one end of a car provided withmy improvement, the floor of the platform being partly broken away toshow parts thereunder. Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the same; Fig. 3,an end view of the same." Fig. 3 is a vertical sectional elevationthrough the platform of the car, the face-plate, and adjacent parts,showing the manner in which the face-plate is sustained by rear bracketsto admit of the tipping of the same by gravity. Figs. 4 and 5 representviews showing my improved device applied to a car having the Janney-Buhoup platform.

In Figs. 1, 2, and 3 I have shown my vestibule applied to a car havingthe Miller pla form, familiar to every person skilled in the art.

A represents the body of the car, having, as usual, the extendedplatform B and extended overhanging roof 0; D, the slidingthreshold-plate,and E the buffer-plates,which are sustained at the frontends of thrust-bars F, jointed thereto and arranged to slide forward andbackward in the platform in guides at their rear ends, subject to theinfluence of the springs G, which urge the buffers outward.

In applying my invention I first provide near each outer corner of theplatform a rigid post H, extending to the roof, and to each of theseposts I connect by vertical hinges I a vertical board or panel J,extending inward at practically right angles to the center line of thecar. To the inner edge of each panel J, I connect by vertical hinges orjoints K, of any suitable construction, a panel or leaf L.

These two panels L are extended outward toward the buffer-plate inparallel lines to serve as side walls for the intervening passage andare jointed at their outer or forward edges, as presently described indetail, to the opposite sides of the face-plate or diaphragm-plate M,forming the 'end of the vestibule and intended to lie against thecorresponding plate of the adjoining car. The face-plate presents inlooking toward the end of the car a [1 form, and its ends are extendeddown and riveted to the buffer-plates. It is sustained by angle platesor brackets N, riveted to its lower ends on the rear side, and the angleplates or brackets are riveted at their lower edges to a foot orthreshold plate D, which is arranged to slide freely on the chafing-ironD on the platform. The lower edges of the angle-brackets are inclined inrelation to the face-plate that is to say, the angle between thefaceplate and the lower edges of the brackets is an obtuse angle, andconsequently when the threshold-plate which is attached to the anglebrackets rests flatly on the chafing-iron the face-plate will besustained in an outwardlyinclined position, its upper end being beyondthe perpendicular and the center of gravity. As a result of thisarrangement the face-plate will have a tendency to pitch or tip forwardat the upper end by gravity, and is in this Way caused to lie snuglyagainst and maintain connection with the opposing plate of the other carwithout the use of springs for the purpose, the face-plate when the twocars are coupled together assuming an upright position and the inneredge only of the threshold-plate sliding on the platform or chafingiron.This tipping action of the face-plate is limited by side ties,hereinafter mentioned, and by the. canvas N connecting the faceplatewith the car and forming a roof for the vestibule. The thrust-bars F aresupported at their rear by the rear beam F and pass at their front endsthrough vertical guide-openings F so as to allow said front ends alimited vertical movement with the face-plate M, which is connectedtherewith by means of the buffer-plates E, as before described. It willbe understood from the above description that the face-plate,buffer-plates, threshold-plate, and thrust-bars are all connectedrigidly together by the angle plates or brackets N, the weight of allthese parts being sustained by the chafing-iron with relation to whichthey slide back and forth.

The manner in which the faceplate is join ted to the side panels L isclearly shown in the drawings, the plate being united by hinges O toplates P, which lie against the outer faces of the panels and areconnected thereto by bolts Q. The plates are slotted horizontally, asshown at S, for the passage of the bolts in order that the faceplate maytilt inward and outward, as before mentioned. These bolts serve as sideties to limit the tilting motion.

In the action of the structure the independenthinged panels J, turningin hinges I, permit the vestibule as a whole or either side thereof tomove forward and backward in the direction of the length of the car,thus allowing the face-plates of the two cars to remain constantly incontact, so that a continuous closed passage is maintained. The cars arebrought and held near enough to each other to insure contaetbetween theface-plates from top to bottom. As regards the action of the face-plate,the essential point is that it shall receive a rear support in orderthat it may have the tendency to pitch outward by gravity, and it ismanifest that the details may be varied at will, provided thischaracteristic is retained. Owing to the location of the posts II at theouter edge of the platform I am enabled to give a wider passage thanusual to make use of the entire platform within the vestibule and to useat the side an ordinary sin gle door T instead of the usual jointeddoor.

It will be observed that as a result of my improved vestibule I dispensewith the usual rubber or canvas diaphragm connected to the sides of thefaceplate, the jointed panels being substituted for the same.

In order that the ventilation of the car at the end may be permittedwithout the necessity of opening the doors, I provide one or both of thepanels J at opposite ends of the car with a vertically-sliding sash jand a covering-screen j. By the use of these ventilating-openin gs afree passage of air is permitted through the car, thus avoiding thedanger and inconvenience attending the opening of the doors to affordventilation.

Vhen my improvement is to be applied to cars having the J anney-Buhoupplatform, I adopt the construction shown in Figs. 4 and 5, in which itwill be seen that the upperside of a buffer-plate Q is provided with agroove extending transversely of the car, which re ceives a flange q,depending from the under side of the threshold-plate It.

The brackets or angle-plates N of the faceplate are riveted at theirlower inclined edges to the threshold-plate, the rear edge of the latterthus affording a support for the faceplate. Both the faceplate andthresholdplate by this arrangement are permitted to move laterally withrespect to the bu ffer-plate.

In order that this side motion of the faceplate may be limited and theconsequent lateral motion of the panels jointed to the same, I providetwo springs S, which connect the buffer-plate at its ends to the twoends of the face-plate. These springs are in the form of rods, each ofwhich is fixed at its upper end to the rear side of the face-plate,while at their lower ends the rods are fixed to the rear sides of thebuffer-plate at its ends. The rods are so bent that they exert apressure toward each other against the face-plate, and thus act tomaintain the same yieldingly in a position in line with the center ofthe car. In addition to this pressure transversely of the car thesprings also exert a pressure at their upper ends longitudinally of thecar and tend to throw the upper end of the faceplate from the car, andin this manner assist gravity in tilting the face-plates on theirsustaining an gle-plates. It will be understood, of course, that otherforms of springs than those shown may be used for this purpose and maybe applied in other ways, the essential requirement being that theface-plate may be maintained yieldingly in a position in line with thecenter of the car.

\Vhat I claim is 1. In a car-vestibule, the combination with theplatform, of the faceplate, and a rigid rearwardly-extending supportfixed to the face-plate serving to sustain the same in an uprightposition and having its supportingedge arranged to slide 011 theplatform and so formed as to normally hold the upper end of theface-plate beyond the perpendicular; whereby the face-plate will have atendency to constantly tip forward by gravity and to lie snugly againstthe opposing plate of the adjacent car.

2. In a ear-vestibule, the combination with the gravity-tiltingface-plate, and the rearwardly-extending brackets secured thereto andhaving inclined lower edges, of the inclined sliding threshold-platesecured to said inclined edges with its lower inner edge in slidingcontact with the platform, and thereby supporting the weight of the saidfaceplate to cause it to tip outwardly at its upper end by gravity,substantially as set forth.

3. In a car-vestibule, the combination of the gravity-tilting face-plateprovided with rearwardly-extending brackets having inclined lower edgesand the threshold-plate secured to the said inclined edges and slidingon the platform, with the spring-pressed buffer connected with the lowerends of the face-plate and movable therewith, substantially as setforth.

4. In combination the hinged panels J and L, the face-plate looselyconnected with the latter and provided at its lower ends with rearsustaining-brackets, a support for said brackets, and thespring-actuated buller exerting an outward pressure on the lower ends ofthe faceplate.

5. In combination with the car the springactuated bufier, the hingedpanels J, the hinged side panels L, the face-plate, the rear sustainingplates or brackets for said faceplate, and the plates P jointed to thefaceplate and to the side panels substantially as described.

6. A vestibule consisting of two upright panels hinged to the car, twoside panels hinged to those first named, a flexible roof and aface-plate jointed to the side panels to tip outward by gravity andspring connections tending to force the lower ends of the faceplateoutward.

7. In combination with the car and its platform, the face-plate, the twovertical posts located in rear of and beyond the sides of theface-plate, the side panels jointed to the faceplate, a nd theoutwardly-extending end panels jointed to the side panels and to theposts.

8. In combination with the car and the platforms at its ends, the twoface-plates, the side panels extending longitudinally of the car, theoutwardly-extendin g panels jointed to the first-named panels andprovided with Ventilating-openings.

9. In a car-vestibule a face-plate supported at the rear and arranged totip outward at its upper end by gravity and movable laterally withrelation to the car, in combination with spring-rods S, arranged tomaintain the faceplate in a line with the center of the car and tendingto tip the same outward.

10. In a car the combination of a buifer, a face-plate movable laterallywith relation to the same, vertical posts, side and end panels jointedtogether and to the face-plate and posts, and vertical springs fixed attheir upper ends to the face-plate and attheir lower ends to the buffer.

In testimony whereof I hereunto set my hand, this 14th day of April,1894, in the presence of two attesting witnesses.

JACOB N. BARR.

Witnesses:

C. A. NEALE, W. R. KENNEDY.

